National Assembly Deputy Speaker and Head of the PFG with Israel Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic met today with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel to discuss advancing cooperation between the two countries.
First off, Marinkovic presented the activities of the National Assembly’s PFG with Israel saying that its work is focused on advancing cooperation with the colleagues in the Knesset and other Israeli dignitaries, as well as advancing the political and economic ties between Serbia and Israel. To that end, Marinkovic praised last year’s visit of the National Assembly delegation headed by the National Assembly Speaker to Israel and the successful celebration of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Israel at the National Assembly.
He said that Serbia is satisfied with its cooperation with Israel, especially in the last few years that saw an influx of investors into the country, and opined that there is still room to advance economic cooperation. Marinkovic also added that the Serbian and Israeli people have shared the same struggles through history as well as today, such as combating terrorism and preserving democracy and civilizational heritage.
“I fully support the State of Israel’s efforts to foster dialogue in the region and have peace in the Middle East”, said Marinkovic.
He opined that the two countries could also advance cooperation in the fields of IT, defence, culture, education, tourism, stressing that Serbia is the first country to pass the Law on remedying the consequences of the seizure of assets of Holocaust victims with no living legal heirs and is interested in having a good relationship with the Jewish community living in it.
Marinkovic took the opportunity to thank the Israeli Embassy for the cooperation, saying that he expected the National Assembly would soon pass the law on the Staro Sajmiste memorial, and as his personal contribution he informed the guests that he would be submitting a proposal of a declaration on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism to the National Assembly, just as he had submitted the initiative to name a street after Ariel Sharon to the City of Belgrade.
Deputy Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Jenny Sedov thanked Deputy Speaker Marinkovic for his personal commitment to advancing the relations between Serbia and Israel, opining that the two countries’ political relations are very good and that the economic and touristic relations are on the rise. She said that the Embassy would continue to work on advancing cultural, as well as sporting and educational cooperation. She opined that the adoption of the Law on remedying the consequences of the seizure of assets of Holocaust victims with no living legal heirs is a precedent, very important for the Jewish community in Serbia, and thanked the National Assembly for passing it unanimously.
Hodaya Avzada and Ph.D Hagar Lina Spiro-Tal, cadets of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke about on advancing IT cooperation, a field in which Israel could really help Serbia, as well as advancing cultural cooperation between the two countries.
